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Friday, September 28, 2012

I had been feeling ill all day, and by evening I was so ill I
could barely stand straight. I tried eating something, but ended up throwing it
all up. My head was aching so much I thought it might just burst.

And yet, there were chores I could not put off. Bathe the
kids, pack their school lunches, fill the water, hang out the laundry. I was
suffering, but had to do it.

“You lie down, Mamma, I’ll finish all your jobs”,

A woman’s work is never done. But after hearing those words,
those chores got so much easier.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Three years back, when I first registered for NaBloWriMo,
blogging everyday in the month of October was easy- it was what I had been
doing ever since I’d started the blog a year earlier. The second year of
NaBloWriMo had been no harder than the first, but sometime last year, I gave up
trying to keep up with my blog. October had been a successful NaBloWriMo month,
but I couldn’t sustain the momentum.

Traditions die hard, and I am back again. In October, I will
attempt to blog once a day, everyday. And take it one day at a time.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

For a 50th birthday, a friend ordered a birthday cake
from a designer cake boutique that charges the earth and promises to deliver heaven.
When she went to pick-up the cake, she was appalled. Instead of something pretty,
or even quirky, what she got was something straight out of a horror show.
Lipsticks dripping blood, skulls made of gold, a frying pan. Even a bow tie if
you wanted to kill yourself!

Her disappointment was apparent, but the baker was unrepentant.
She was an artist- you had to take what she gave. Is that the way to run a
business?

_______

Disclaimer- this is NOT 'The Cake'. This is what a customized cake should look like!

Monday, September 24, 2012

Yesterday, on a whim, I decided to surprise the Hubby by
baking him a birthday cake. I gathered all the ingredients before realizing
that the expiry date of the baking powder had passed two years back. Too late
to do anything about it, I left it out altogether. The cake, naturally, didn’t
rise, but it smelt good otherwise.

Today, in a fit of inspiration, I cut the cake in half, and
sandwiched a layer of Nutella and banana slices in between. It was delicious.

Things don’t always turn out as we want them to, but they
often turn out right.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

In a contest with his brother, he could not be bothered to race
around the world three times- he strode leisurely around his parents- they make
up the world for him.

The Remover of Obstacles! The Scribe of the Mahabharata!

While other Gods compete with each other on their majestic mounts,
he is happy pottering around on his trusty mouse. He is content, but when
required, his physical bravery and intellectual powers surpass those of the other
Gods.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Can’t say I didn’t appreciate what was clearly a compliment,
but I was also extremely amused. Me and hot- the words just don’t go together. I
can be accused of lots of things but not of being “hot”!

Maybe she didn’t mean me. Maybe she meant my brand new
running shoes. The Nike Frees that I had been lusting after for months. The pair
that felt every bit as good as it looked. The shoes that epitomized “hawt”, now
mine for keeps!

He was not buying that, and finally let himself be partially
placated after I sprinkled sugar on the offending curry. Minutes after
finishing dinner, he wolfed down an entire packet of fiery hot jalapeño flavoured
wafers.

Monday, September 10, 2012

Game-Changer is not a term I use often, but nothing
describes Dr. Verghese Kurien better than that.

In a nation talking about socialism but doing little to
implement it, he created a co-operative movement that successfully took on the
might of multinational firms. Long before it became fashionable to talk about
it, he realized that true change can only start with the financial empowerment
of women. He brought about a paradigm shift by taking a model that worked in a
few hundred villages and replicating it across the nation.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Too lazy to wait for the lift, I used the stairs today. A couple
of floors up, I was greeted by the stench of rotting vegetable peel and a
solitary diaper sunning itself on the steps. Someone had dumped their garbage
bag in the stairwell. The diaper made it easy to identify the perpetrator- a
perfectly turned-out lady, who’s immaculately kept house could easily feature
in a home decor magazine.

How anyone can dump their garbage in a common area is beyond
me. How someone can be so fussy about their house, and yet do it, I will never
understand.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

I had a really tight deadline to meet, there were three
calls to return. Laundry waits for no one, and plants need to be watered at
least twice a week even during the monsoons. There was nothing in the fridge,
so unless I wanted to order a pizza or starve, I had option but to cook
something for myself.

I brewed myself a cup of tea, and plonked it next to my laptop.
Just as I was easing into my chair, I changed my mind, and carried the cup to
the window. The rain was beautiful. I needed the break.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

While alighting from the school-bus, my younger one exclaimed,
“Jahapanah!”

“Jodha!”, I replied, taking his school-bag from him.

All three of us dissolved into laughter, and continued with the
silly word-association game we had invented the previous day. It wasn’t
particularly funny, but we had giggled so much while making up the rules, we
couldn’t not laugh.

“Mamma, please”, hissed the older one suddenly. Someone else
had got into the lift, and was giving us strange looks. To save him embarrassment,
I struggled to control my laughter.

Monday, September 3, 2012

A light drizzle started during my run. Within minutes, the
sky opened up, and I was caught in a heavy downpour. Umbrellas erupted, people
took shelter under trees; the park emptied out. I had the track to myself. Raindrops
hit my face, and washed the sweat away. My feet took on the rhythm of the
falling rain, any fatigue long washed away. I was one with the elements- at
home in the Universe.

People thought me crazy. Then one joined me, and another,
and another. The park was full of bobbing umbrellas. Can life get any more
beautiful than that?